At its meeting today, Chemnitz City Council approved the preferred option for the new tram line to Zeisigwald. This forms the basis for the further design planning, which is to be completed by summer 2026 under the leadership of Chemnitzer Verkehrs-AG.
The new tram route to Zeisigwald is intended to replace bus route 51 and connect densely populated areas on Straße der Nationen and Heinrich-Schütz-Straße. In addition, facilities such as the Sachsen-Allee shopping centre, the stadium on Gellertstraße, the Terra Nova campus and the Zeisigwaldkliniken Bethanien clinics are to be connected and, finally, the Zeisigwald leisure and recreation area is to be made accessible.
The route is around 3.4 kilometres long in total and is essentially based on the existing road network: the planned new line connects to the existing tram network in Straße der Nationen at Heinrich-Zille-Straße and the entrance to the main railway station. It leads to Wilhelm-Külz-Platz and then along August-Bebel-Straße to Thomas-Mann-Platz, which is to be upgraded from an urban development and green planning perspective. A junction to the north is planned there for the Chemnitz Model Stage 3 project in the direction of Frankenberger Strasse. In addition, a branch to the future depot of the Mittelsachsen transport association on Dresdner Straße is to be created there. The route then runs along Palmstraße and Heinrich-Schütz-Straße to Zeisigwaldstraße and ends at the existing bus turning loop on the edge of Zeisigwald.
For the individual sections of the project, various options for the construction of new track and catenary systems as well as the expansion of the entire road cross-section, including modern and compliant pedestrian and cycle traffic facilities, were examined and weighed up. In addition to technical and structural feasibility and traffic planning requirements, the decisive factors for the preferred option included available space, the impact on pedestrian and cycle traffic, lost time in traffic flow, nature conservation interventions and, finally, cost-effectiveness.
Information event
An information event will be held for interested citizens on 1 December at 6 pm in the stadium on Gellertstraße.
Details can be found in the CVAG press release (dated 20 November 2025).